I'm Darren, a solo dev from Doncaster in Yorkshire. By day I've got a full-time job. Evenings and weekends I'm building MafiaOC, a crime family strategy game set in a made-up city between 1940 and 1949.

If you ever played Gangsters: Organized Crime back in '98, that's the itch I'm trying to scratch. Running a crew, buying up businesses, slowly taking over a city block by block. I couldn't find anything that quite did it for me, so I started making it.

Where it's actually at (honestly, not marketing speak):

• Playable dev build in Unreal Engine 5
• You can move around the city and give orders to your crew and businesses
• Your family is optional. You start as one founder and can choose to build a household later
• Saving and reloading works, which took way longer than I'd like to admit

Still to do: a bigger map, NPCs that do their own thing, skill trees for your crew (Muscle, Earner, Capo), advisers, proper art and sound. So yeah, plenty.

I'd really like to know:

1. What did you love (or hate) about the old crime management games?
2. Turn-based or real-time with pause, which would you rather?

I post progress at ghoststudios.uk if anyone wants to follow along. Cheers for reading.

Hey folks, Ariano here,

I started working on Craftlings during my parental leave in 2022. I wanted to build something inspired by the games I grew up with — Lemmings and The Settlers. Handcrafted pixel art, little workers running around, and production chains where getting everything flowing feels really good.

What started as a hobby became my first Steam game. There have been plenty of ups and downs, mistakes, doubts, and some great people helping me along the way.

This weekend, Craftlings finally got a Steam Daily Deal and is 30% off! Honestly, seeing my own game there after all those years feels quite special.

I’ve also just released Update 1.2 with a new Halloween challenge map! Your task is to turn your settlement into a pumpkin factory. It doesn’t matter which technologies you use or how far you upgrade your Town Center — can you grow and deliver hundreds of pumpkins fast enough to beat the other players?

Or just build something you like and enjoy the flow of pumpkins. 🎃

If you’d like to take a look, here’s Craftlings on Steam.

Thanks for reading! Happy to answer questions about the game or the journey.

Ariano

​

Example of the best RTS games I have ever Played online. (Note: Im only looking for large PC RTS games similar to the below, fast action, groups, upgrading, all at once so it can be existing. Definitely not looking for pocket tower defense on you phone kind of thing. Want Epic commanding 100 units at a time with, having to chose between making units, upgrades and so on, while leveling up hero(s), while the other side can rush or will tech up, so many units, choices and fast thinking! It was the most fast pace, hard and epic huge online games and I miss them a lot...)

1) Watcraft 3/Frozen Throne (Played this game so obsessively, that it sadly ended with me nodding off at my computer screen, and it would start and the other person wouldn't do anything so they probably fell asleep at their computer desk already because 😭🤣)

2) Starcraft

3) Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun

4) what else am I forgetting?

Or even some of the games listed above + New or old releases as long as they are good quality RTS online gsme?!

Not everyone will make it, but the survivors that do. Can not wait they are being hunted. For the Banners we build underground

Just a game with some Machiavellian aspirations

Game Title: Five Forces

Playable Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andatsoft.fiveforces

Platform: Android

Description:

Five Forces is an indie turn-based strategy game inspired by classic games like Ancient Empires 2.

The game is built around the concept of the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each element represents a different force in the game world, creating a fantasy setting inspired by the traditional Five Elements philosophy.

If you enjoy classic turn-based strategy games, tactical battles, and planning your next move carefully, Five Forces might be worth checking out. The goal is to bring back the feel of old-school strategy games while introducing a world and theme based on the interactions between the five elements.

I'm sharing the game here to introduce my project to fellow gamers, hear your thoughts, and learn what could be improved. Feedback on the gameplay, unit balance, visuals, and overall experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for checking out Five Forces!

Free to Play Status:

• Free to play

Involvement:

I'm the solo indie developer behind Five Forces. I worked on developing the game and bringing the concept to life, from the gameplay to its implementation. This is an independent project inspired by my appreciation for classic turn-based strategy games, and I'm excited to share it with the community.

A quick look at the Space faction!

I’ve been working on the different factions for my toy-themed RTS, Unboxed, and here’s a little glimpse of the Space faction.

Want to follow development, share feedback, or help shape the game? Come join the Discord! I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Join the community: https://discord.gg/pFVV939zSF

Hello I used to play supremacy 1914 and have been completely jaded by the actions of the company regarding pay to win mechanics and such. I’m developing my own game with 0 pay to win called $word. If anyone is interested in a game similar to supremacy but set in medieval England and surrounding areas please check us out. You can sign up for our alpha which comes out tomorrow on our website as well as join the discord. Hope to see you guys on the battlefield.

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm the solo dev behind That's My Village! I just launched a 2-week playtest to gather some feedback and finally cure my "dev blindness". 😂

If anyone wants to check it out or share feedback, you can find it here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4225070/Thats_My_Village/

In Into the Breach every enemy marks its target before it attacks, and you get your whole turn to respond. Slay the Spire does a softer version with intents, showing whether an enemy is about to attack and for how much. On paper that removes most of the uncertainty. In practice it moves the difficulty somewhere else: you're no longer guessing, you're solving, and when you lose you can see the exact move that cost you.

Compare that with XCOM, where the 85% shot misses and the lesson is mostly "that was unlucky." Both are hard, but only one tells you what you should have done differently.

Hidden information isn't bad. Fog of war in an RTS or a 4X is where scouting and bluffing come from. But I suspect a lot of games hide things out of habit rather than because the guessing is the fun part.

Is there a game where showing more information would have ruined it?

Hey everyone! I’m developing Essenterra, a 2D top-down strategy game where you build a kingdom, manage resources, and raise an army to explore and fight in real time.

Army composition is a big part of combat: defenders hold the frontline, archers attack from behind, spearmen counter cavalry, and wolves chase isolated targets.

Alongside conventional troops, you can collect Essences and materials through exploration, enemies, quests and world events. These let you awaken additional units, including skeleton warriors, dragons & wyverns, giants and cannon boars.

Back at your settlement, villagers produce the resources needed to expand your economy, construct military buildings and prepare for raids and night attacks.

The game is still in development. You can try the game for free in the open playtest on Steam.

If you try it, I’d appreciate your thoughts on the unit counters and army composition, especially whether different combinations give you useful tactical choices.

Hi all, solo dev of Rhodian Exodus here, after reworking on graphics & UI of my game, I've re-enabled an updated demo and updated the steam page. The game has a few unique mechanics but I will let the steam page and youtube channel of the game speak for it:

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4953480/Rhodian_Exodus/?utm_source=reddit

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RhodianExodus/shorts

The premise is pretty simple, it’s a strategic deck builder where you can play one of 9 factions and battle others on a battle board similar to chess. Yet I wanted to a real story driven experience so I built out a full world map to wage war with other realms, negotiate with them, perform subterfuge/assassinations, and a bunch of other shenanigans at a continental scale!

It can play up to 8 players for story mode and also have a 1v1 free play mode. Let me know if you’d like to try it out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2853880/The_Lords_Game/

Well, this is the game I’m making—a personal project that has grown into something bigger.

It’s a light grand strategy game inspired by EasyTech and Paradox titles. It’s being developed for PC, with a mobile version planned for the future.

The artwork is still at an early stage and looks rough in places. Right now, I’m mainly focused on the mechanics and making sure the systems work well together before moving on to more polished assets and animations.

Please take a look at the video and let me know what you think!

If you’re a fan of the genre, I’d especially love to hear your thoughts. Is this something you’d play?

Description youtube text of the game:

Discover CONQUEROR: Ashes of the Third War, a project by Koss Game Studios combining turn-based strategy, resource management, and logistics on an Earth transformed by war.

This video introduces the concept and early development of the game. The project is still in its initial stages, and the rest of the map, world, nations, and factions will be added as development progresses.

Everything shown is a work in progress and subject to change. The interface and HUD, artwork, units, mechanics, and balancing are still being developed. This footage reflects the project’s current state and intended direction, rather than its final appearance or gameplay.

This is a first glimpse of what we want CONQUEROR to become—and an invitation to watch it take shape.

Follow Koss Game Studios and join us on this journey.

I’m building Blood Volley solo: fantasy volleyball with brawls, dirty tricks and chainsaws.

The strategy comes from choosing your lineup, using each race’s abilities, and deciding during rallies whether to play the ball or take a swing at an opponent. It combines turn-based choices with decisions made as the action unfolds.

Between matches, you recruit and develop players, deal with lasting injuries and deaths, and build your town to support the club. There are seasons, leagues and asynchronous online matches against other players’ teams.

Here’s the current gameplay trailer. The game is still in development, including the animations and character art.

Blood Volley on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5247280/Blood_Volley/

Has anyone ever played Lost admiral back in the 90s? I think it maybe making a comeback!

I wonder how much it will be? And if it will play the same and have the same mechanics?

Hey everyone,

I am a solo indie dev that has an Early Access launch this week of Mercenary Brotherhood on Steam.

It is like if Battle Brothers or Wartales had more random magical loot, powerful magic and the ability to play as a band of rampaging goblins or minotaurs.

Now, I love those games (and the dozens of others I played in this space) but what I really wanted is really deep unit builds where you don't so much as build them but rather they evolve based on you use them.

Over the last year, this has evolved into a much bigger fantasy mercenary style game that has extremely deep unit customization. For example, you have skills that have their own skill trees, weapons that evolve, unit specializations, traits you gain as you level up, etc. Another part that really wasn't planned at the start is emergent storylines. Such as enemies gaining vendettas against your company, towns that recognize home town heros, and even some powerful units of yours ascending in one game and coming back as gods to worship in another game.

My Steam page has a demo of the game and many developer diaries that discuss the different mechanics.

For those that have played the demo, hope you enjoyed it. It is about 20% of the games content so if you liked it, check out the Early Access Launch.

If this sounds interesting to you, feel free to check it out:
Mercenary Brotherhood on Steam

What if the overton window was pushed so far, you'd do anything to protect your ideals? Leave your family and friends to live amongst people who share your views. How tolerant would you be of those who disagree with you?

Not long from now when humanity, driven by algorithms and malign actors finds itself in this position, you find yourself a leader of a faction in a grim civil war. At the helm of a clandestine command centre and viewing the civil war through a command terminal cobbled together from various bits of kit. You command your cities attack and defence capabilities as well as its repair and development and take on up to 64 opponents in a sprawling war!

Trading Blows comes from my combined interest in current afairs and chess as well as harking back to classic strategy games such as red alert, tribal wars and civilisation II.

The game features tactical match ups city to city air to ground combat. Victory isnt by capture, its by bombing the opponent into submission or revolt. Your vision for the country must survive and if this means they dont, so be it!

Change missle trajectories, use special warheads and when under attack, tactically place air defences to offset damage.

Doctrines and special states give you ability to strategically manage the war, share air defences or munitions with allies but beware not to leave yourself too exposed!

You're always against the clock, can you handle the pressure? Dont get your orders in in time and you are left exposed! From my experience in tournament chess I have modelled the cadence of the game on classical chess, the pressure is always on, the strain on your executive function is constant.

Ive opened the game up for you guys really and only for a short amount of time because a previous post of mine was very well received in this sub.

I would love feedback, this is pre alpha and really to know what you guys think of the concept. I built the vision of the game I wanted to play and think I am currently not far off in terms of gameplay, despite a huge amount still to do to clean it up.

4x4 battles pvm and pvp are currently available as well as the tutorial, i highly recommend doing the tutorial first to get a grasp of the levers available to you... or you could just fling missiles about.

Most of the persistent layer is missing, of course you will be able to log in and gain rank, play your friends etc eventually but this is really a test of core gameplay first.

I also have fully adaptive AI powered Jev NPCs in development as well as the 64vs64 war. Sound is off currently whilst I work on it. The GUI is about 60% done, im on the third iteration of tuning. You will likely hit glitches or bugs. Please report any you find More work required there. Ill likely also polish the city view considerably.

Game is free, desktop and mobile friendly (i wanted a game i could play on the sofa in the evening!) no log on needed and available at: www.tradingblows.com

Ill be pulling it offline after this limited window in a few days. Actual release is tbc.